A plug-in connector part may comprise a housing part, which has a plug-in portion and a plurality of contact openings arranged in the plug-in portion and each having a contact element arranged therein. The plug-in portion can be brought into a plug-in connection with a mating plug-in connector part in a plug-in direction, and has an outer surface extending peripherally around the plug-in direction.
Plug-in connector parts of this type serve for example to transmit a charging current, and are made use of for example in electric vehicles, in charging stations for charging electric vehicles, or in charging cables for connecting an electric vehicle to a charging station.
Because a plug-in connector part, arranged for example on a vehicle, in the form of a charging socket into which a charging plug of a charging cable can be plugged, is also used outdoors in the normal use of the vehicle, and it is difficult if not impossible to seal off the plug-in connector part towards the outside, moisture can penetrate into the plug-in connector part, in particular into the contact openings, for example in rainy weather. It is therefore necessary to ensure that water which gets into the contact openings can also flow away again, in such a way that contacts arranged in the contact openings can securely and reliably be contacted with contacts of a complementary mating plug-in connector part. In particular in the event of frost, water located in a contact opening can potentially freeze, and this can potentially make it impossible to connect a complementary mating plug-in connector part and thus make a charging process impossible.
In plug-in connector parts of this type, it is therefore conventionally provided that a drain to a plane positioned downstream from the contact opening in the plug-in direction is provided at a contact opening, as is disclosed for example in WO 2011/104 609 A1. However, this has the drawback that a space into which drainage is possible, but which also additionally has to be sealed off, has to be provided downstream from the contact openings in the plug-in direction.
There is therefore a need for plug-in connector parts which make drainage possible in a different manner.
In a plug-in connector part known from EP 2 573 880 A1, a drainage system is provided comprising outlet ducts formed to lead water to an outlet line.
Other plug-in connector parts which provide drainage are known for example from DE 694 28 636 T2 and EP 0 634 818 B1.